Unlike the commanding and imposing figure one might expect, Furuta Renji was tall and thin, with a creepy, insidious smile that instantly made people uncomfortable.
Especially when he assumed Sato and Lance were just more easy prey Kojirō had roped in; his gaze turned aggressively predatory without the slightest attempt to hide it.
"…You're the ones looking for my help?"
"Yes, 'Boss'."
At this point, Lance dropped the act too. Now that they had met the target, he had full confidence he wouldn't let the man escape.
"Hm…?"
Boss Gu raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Lance's calm demeanor. He still hadn't realized the two before him weren't prey… they were deadly predators!
"So… what do you want help with?"
Furuta didn't immediately go for a direct robbery, instead pausing a moment to ask.
"Simple. Help me find a good Pokémon for my brother. Starter, pseudo-legendary… anything works!"
Shff~ Shff~ Shff…
Suddenly, everyone around them -who had barely paid them any attention before- snapped their eyes toward them, their minds flooded with ridicule.
Only one man began to sweat profusely, Kojirō, who had personally brought Sato and Lance here.
Right now, Sato and Lance were nothing like the two meek guys he had spoken to earlier. Their demeanor set off alarms in his head. Something was very wrong!
"Huahuahuahuahua! That's the funniest thing I've heard all year… TIE THEM UP!"
Renji burst out laughing, but the moment he finished, his tone turned cold and commanding.
In the next second, everyone summoned their Pokémon, and two of them had already sent Golduck and Beedrill charging toward Sato and Lance!
"Absol, Aerial Ace."
"Dragonair, Thunderbolt!"
Two red lights flashed. Sato and Lance reacted instantly, each sending out a Pokémon.
Absol locked onto the Beedrill as soon as it appeared. After reading its attack path, it struck decisively with Aerial Ace to its back!
On the other side, Lance had released a Dragonair at Elite level, clearly planning the same thing as Sato.
Train the new partners!
However, compared to the meticulously raised Absol and Dragonair, this gang of grunts was nothing special.
Both Thunderbolt and Aerial Ace landed cleanly, instantly knocking out their targets!
In a corner, Kojirō had already collapsed to the ground. Even he, inexperienced as he was, could tell these Pokémon were far from ordinary… and that meant their Trainers weren't either!
No matter who won this fight.
He was done for!
"All of you, ATTAAACK!"
Furuta's face twisted with rage as he rose from his chair, gripping two Poké Balls tightly.
He recognized the rare Dragonair, just having one was already a status symbol.
As for the other Pokémon, it fell outside his realm of knowledge. A man who had never left the Kanto Region couldn't possibly know what Absol was.
But one thing was certain.
Both Pokémon were incredibly strong!
Absol had reached Elite lvl a few days ago. Brimming with battle lust, it slashed through the grunts one by one with the blade on its head!
Dragonair, despite its harmless appearance, unleashed Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, and Ice Beam in rapid succession; none of its opponents could withstand even a single hit.
Clearly, Absol and Dragonair were in a completely different league.
"Scyther, X-Scissor!"
"Cloyster, Aurora Beam!"
Finally, someone sent out Elite lvl Pokémon, and they just happened to be ones that countered Absol and Dragonair.
Sato and Lance exchanged a glance -no words needed- yet they instantly understood each other's plan.
"Absol, Dark Pulse."
"Dragonair, Iron Tail!"
The next moment, Absol and Dragonair suddenly charged at each other's targets, switching opponents in a blink.
Dark Pulse roared forward, clashing hard with Cloyster's Aurora Beam!
But it didn't stop there…
Dark Pulse began pushing the Aurora Beam back inch by inch!
On the other side, Dragonair showed no fear of Scyther's dual scythe-like arms. With a swift spin, its tail gleamed with silver light as it swung directly into the oncoming X-Scissor!
Zzzzt~ Zzzt…
Iron Tail and X-Scissor locked together, sparks flying from their clash. Until Dragonair followed up with another strike, forcing Scyther backward!
Meanwhile, Dark Pulse had already landed squarely on the retreating Cloyster, which had tucked itself back into its shell. The damage wasn't massive…
"Absol, aim for the gaps in its shell. Psycho Cut, now!"
"Dragonair, point-blank Fire Blast!"
Sato and Lance went straight into a follow-up, not giving the enemy any time to breathe.
Absol suddenly crouched down, its blood-red eyes locked tightly onto Cloyster.
In the next instant, Absol swung its horn with full force, releasing a one-meter-long pink psychic blade that howled through the air, striking Cloyster right at the base of its shell!
Shing~
The sound was like a blade unsheathing. Absol's Psycho Cut plunged straight into the "scabbard" that was Cloyster's shell.
A moment later, the shell cracked open slightly, and a direct hit landed on its softest spot. Cloyster was clearly out of the fight.
Elsewhere, Dragonair had grabbed the flailing Scyther with its tail and immediately launched a close-range Fire Blast.
It took a little recoil damage, but still succeeded in taking Scyther down!
This time, it was Sato's turn to raise an eyebrow at Lance.
"I was faster this time."
Easily defeating two equally ranked opponents, Absol and Dragonair overwhelmed everyone present with their absolute strength. Even the gang members couldn't help but look to their Boss.
But seeing how powerful Sato and Lance's Pokémon were, Renji began to panic. Grasping at straws, he said…
"I-I sincerely apologize for my earlier rudeness. If you're no longer angry, perhaps we can sit down and talk again!
W-We may not have pseudo-legendaries, but we might be able to get you a Squirtle with a bit of effort…"
"Forget it… We're here to arrest you. Dragonair!"
Lance didn't bother playing along anymore. If it hadn't been for wanting to show Sato the safest way to execute a mission, he probably would've dragged Kojirō here by force from the start.
"DAMN IT! TENTACRUEL, SLUDGE WAVE! KINGLER, CRABHAMMER!"
At last, Renji threw out the two Poké Balls he'd been holding; immediately commanding Tentacruel to use the wide-range move Sludge Wave.
He didn't care that his own men and their Pokémon were still on the battlefield.
"Absol, Night Slash."
"Dragonair, Blizzard. Freeze that Sludge Wave!"
Night Slash and Crabhammer collided with brutal force, neither side backing down.
Meanwhile, before the Sludge Wave could even spread, Dragonair -this one built for Special Attack- froze it solid with Blizzard.
But right then, a Raticate suddenly darted out from beneath Sato's feet. Lunging straight at him with bared fangs!
And all Lance had time to shout was…
"WATCH OUT!"